I think I reported here about my trip to Hawaii, but there are some other small details I didn't include. Hawaii is a very friendly, healthy place. The climate is perfect and I think people are so comfortable there, they just stay happy and pleasant. You can strike up a conversation there without half trying.

I am always impressed by their sense of family. On weekends, you see large groups of native Hawaiians, obviously extended families, camped at the beach. They swim, surf, sing, relax, cook, eat, dance, fish, and laugh a lot. Hawaiian kids, (keiki) practally grow up at the water's edge. They can usually swim at a much younger age than those of us who grow up on the mainland. They also show great respect for the elderly, and these family groups often include four, maybe five, generations. They eat a lot of fish, fruit, rice, and poi. You don't see many vegetable gardens, but trees in yards are usually fruit trees. They love flowers, which are everywhere, and it is not unusual to see a 300 pound man wearing them around his neck or even in his hair. The most popular patterns for aloha shirts include lots of flowers.

There is no dominate ethnic group in Hawaii as far as I can tell. Many people are of mixed heritage and sometimes a face will have Asian eyes, a polynesian nose and a complection that suggests Europe. There are a great many very small elderly people who, to my untrained eye, appear to be mostly Japanese or Chinese. I saw a number of them riding The Bus at various times and they often only came up only to my sholder, when they walked past where I was sitting.

Every time I come back from Hawaii, it takes me weeks to get over missing the place. Every time I go, the tradewinds in the palm trees seem to be saying "Welcome home."
Howard